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Drawing Hands in Anime

Drawing hands in anime is not as difficult as you may think. In this post, we will go over the very basics of what it takes to draw hands in the anime style. But before we begin, there are a few key points I’d like to go over.

My approach is not the only way to draw; everyone’s style varies, so take what you read here as another building block for your journey.

You will get out of this what you put in; I can only show you my method, it is up to you to put in the work.

Draw with the intent of improving! With each new image you should show signs of improvement. Try to avoid stagnating or you may never reach the image quality you dreamed of when you first began you artistic journey.

Have fun! Whether as a hobby or career, you should enjoy the work you do. Every image you create has value in your journey to artistic success.

Okay, first you should understand the main components that make up a hand. (I’ve used my hand for all these examples so things may look a little different compare to yours.)

Each color on the hand to the left represents a point the hand can bend. You can also see this in action on the hand to the right. When it comes to anime, simplicity is key! The trick is to display as much form without emitting too much detail in the line work. This is where a lot of new comers fail to notice. They simply see some plain lines, a few colors and think to themselves, “That looks easy to master!”. Do not be fooled! Creating form in 2d can be deceptively difficult but not impossible with practice.

Notice the places I added lines on the hand to the right. I only included lines that would aid in properly displaying form and nothing more. Also, you will want to get familiar with foreshortening. Foreshortening is the act of creating a 3d illusion on a 2d surface. This is what I did with the thumb, pinky and ring finger. Practice drawing foreshortening to improve your artistic sight!

Next I would like to cover the proportions of the hand.

Roughly, the size of your hand should be large enough to cover you face. You can get a better idea of this by covering your own hand over your face. Doing this will make sure your character’s hand is properly proportional to the rest of the body. I know there are plenty of anime and artist out their that stylize their hands smaller or larger. Do not take short cuts on this! A lot of the pros know the basics so they can experiment, you should learn the basics first and then stylize! Do not fear the hands, embrace them!

To conclude, use your own hand as a models while paying close attention to the proportions of each finger and the over all hand. Practice foreshortening to create the illusion of form and get familiar with the way the hand bends. With practice and time you will become very adapt to drawing hands and will be the envy of all your art friends.

If you fount this guide helpful, please post in the comments or send me an email. I would love to see your progress!